Chelsea staff warned over Fantasy Premier League use

Chelsea issued a staff warning after Joao Pedro's quad injury was inadvertently revealed through Fantasy Premier League team changes before any official announcement.

Chelsea have sent an email to staff warning them about the risks of using inside information when playing Fantasy Premier League or other public gaming platforms, where team selection choices could reveal which players are unavailable or close to returning.

The warning followed the 2-0 home defeat by Tottenham, when forward Joao Pedro was a surprise absentee due to a quad injury that had not been publicly announced. Several Fantasy Premier League content creators claimed to have seen evidence that forward Morgan Rogers and several Chelsea staff members removed Pedro from their teams before kick-off at Stamford Bridge, inadvertently disclosing his unavailability.

Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso said he was unaware of the situation when asked about it after the match. The club regards the incident as isolated and manageable through greater awareness among players and staff, with no further restrictions on Fantasy Premier League participation expected.

This is not Chelsea's first leak issue; team selections were previously leaked before Champions League matches against Paris St-Germain under former manager Liam Rosenior, and former defender Marc Cucurella's barber once revealed on social media that Pedro and Cole Palmer would miss a trip to Brighton.